The co-founder of Pinkberry yoghurt was today found guilty of using a tire iron to brutally beat a homeless man who flashed a sexually explicit tattoo at his fiancee.

Millionaire Young Lee, 47, attacked Daniel Boulding with the metal bar on June 15 2011 after he was approached by the victim asking for money.

Lee, who now faces up to seven years in jail, became upset after Bolding had flashed a tattoo depicting a stick figure of a couple having sex to the people in his car, including Lee's fiancée.

He drove away but returned with another man to beat Bolding.

Guilty: The co-founder of frozen yogurt giant Pinkberry has been convicted of beating a homeless man with a tire iron while the victim begged on the side of an East Hollywood street

How it all began: Lee, a kick-boxer-turned-architect-turned-entrepreneur, co-founded Pinkberry with partner Shelly Hwang. They opened their first location in West Hollywood in 2005, gaining a celebrity following and sparking a frozen yoghurt craze

Words were exchanged, and Lee and another man in a rented SUV chased the man to attack him with a tire iron.

Lee's defense attorney Philip Kent Cohen claimed the man made threats to his client as if he had a weapon, but police say it was a sexually explicit tattoo on the homeless man that triggered Lee to get out of his vehicle and go after the victim.

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According to prosecutors, court documents show Lee viewed the tattoo as a sign of disrespect.

He
demanded the homeless man kneel and apologize, but even after the man
consented, police say Lee proceeded to kick and beat him with the tire
iron.

Jail sentence likely: Young Lee, stands with his attorney Philip Kent Cohen. Lee has been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon for striking a homeless man with a tire iron. He could face up to seven years in prison

FROZEN YOGHURT EMPIRE

Korean-born Young Lee began frozen yoghurt chain Pinkberry with his business partner Hye Kyung Hang in 2005 - and the brand has since grown from one store in Los Angeles to more than 100 across the country.

The chain's rapid growth made Lee a wealthy man and he owned a luxury home with a fleet of luxury cars including a Rolls-Royce Phantom and Ferrari 599 GTB at the time of his arrest.

A number of celebrities such as Kim Kardashian number among Pinkberry's devoted fan following, and the company prides itself on having 'groupies' across the country.

Lee left the company in 2010.

Phillip Kent Cohen, Lee's attorney, said he and the prosecutor agreed on '96% of what happened: that there was a tire iron and that [Bolding] was given great bodily injury.'

But Cohen said his client never held the tire iron, and he attempted to cast doubt on the testimony of witnesses who identified Lee as the attacker, including saying that Bolding had 'flat-out lied.'

In the initial police report, Cohen said, Bolding alleged that he was arguing with the driver, whom he identified as Lee.

Bolding said the man in the passenger seat had the tire iron. But during the trial, Bolding testified that Lee had beaten him with the tire iron.

Bolding has also filed a personal injury lawsuit against Lee seeking damages for the attack.

After the beating, Lee traveled to Korea and England. He was arrested Jan. 30, 2012, at Los Angeles International Airport by a fugitive task force.

The jury deliberated for less than two days before reaching a guilty verdict in the three-week-long trial.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Henry Hall said that evidence during the trial showed that Lee had made significant threats to witnesses and considered him a 'threat to the community.'

Lee was arrested after a witness called police and gave the license plate number of the Range Rover involved, which was rented in Lee's name.